Sydney Goldstein of City Arts & Lectures is seen on stage at the Nourse Theatre on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif., which she renovated and will be using while the Herbst Theatre is closed for seismic upgrades. less

Sydney Goldstein of City Arts & Lectures is seen on stage at the Nourse Theatre on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif., which she renovated and will be using while the Herbst Theatre is closed for ... more

Photo: Russell Yip / The Chronicle

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The Nourse Auditorium, seen on Jan. 18, 2012, housed in the former Commerce High School site has been transformed into the new home of City Arts & d Lectures.

The Nourse Auditorium, seen on Jan. 18, 2012, housed in the former Commerce High School site has been transformed into the new home of City Arts & d Lectures.

The Nourse Theater which was formerly the Commerce High School auditorium is seen on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. City Arts &Lectures will be using the space while its current venue, the Herbst Theater, is closed for seismic upgrades. less

The Nourse Theater which was formerly the Commerce High School auditorium is seen on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. City Arts &Lectures will be using the space while its current venue, the ... more

Photo: Russell Yip / The Chronicle

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The Nourse Theater which was formerly the Commerce High School auditorium is seen on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. City Arts & Lectures will be using the space while its current venue, the Herbst Theater, is closed for seismic upgrades. less

The Nourse Theater which was formerly the Commerce High School auditorium is seen on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. City Arts & Lectures will be using the space while its current venue, the ... more

Photo: Russell Yip / The Chronicle

Image 22 of 23

The ceiling of the Nourse Theater which was formerly the Commerce High School auditorium is seen on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. City Arts & Lectures will be using the space while its current venue, the Herbst Theater, is closed for seismic upgrades. less

The ceiling of the Nourse Theater which was formerly the Commerce High School auditorium is seen on Thursday, April 4, 2013 in San Francisco, Calif. City Arts & Lectures will be using the space while its ... more

Photo: Russell Yip / The Chronicle

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The Nourse Auditorium

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Ten or 15 years ago I wrote a magazine feature on public high school architecture in San Francisco, falling hard for the grand theaters built into Mission and Galileo.

I’d seen them all, but I had not seen the best — Nourse Auditorium — because it is hidden within the High School of Commerce, which has been closed for 50 years.

Nobody knows it is there, which is doubly surprising because the door is directly across from the stage door to Davies Symphony Hall. About six weeks ago I found the door, left ajar, so I creaked it open and wandered onto the stage. Standing there and looking out it felt like the high school equivalent of Carnegie Hall, with tier after tier, rising to the ceiling.

Sydney Goldstein, impresario of the Nourse, finally pulled me off the stage and offered up a tour of what she had done to bring this dark house back to light. On May 1 the Nourse Theater debuts as the new home of City Arts & Lectures. Click here to find out more about the space.